Missouri Redaction Actions: A New Wilderness for Counsel and The Public

In the vast jungle of defense litigation, a new creature has emerged—expanded attorney responsibility for document redaction amid dramatically increased public access to Missouri CaseNet filings. Recent rule changes place the burden squarely on counsel to identify, redact, certify, and, if necessary, correct confidential information before documents ever reach the public eye.
Effective July 1, revised Court Operating Rule 2.02 and amendments to Missouri Rules of Civil Procedure 55.025 and 84.015 have transformed long-standing redaction requirements into a high-stakes compliance obligation. With most non-sealed filings now publicly accessible, even a single redaction misstep can expose sensitive client information, raise ethical concerns, and trigger remedial court action. Attorneys navigating this newly cleared terrain must proceed with heightened vigilance—or risk getting caught in the undergrowth.